Photoconductive member having amorphous silicon layers

Abstract

A photoconductive member, is provided which has a support, a first layer having photoconductivity containing an amorphous material comprising silicon atoms as a matrix provided on said support and a second layer containing silicon atoms and carbon atoms as essential components provided on said first layer, wherein said first layer contains at least one kind of atoms selected from the group III of the periodic table together with nitrogen atoms, with the nitrogen atoms having a substantially uniform concentration distribution within said first layer and the group III atoms of the periodic table having a depth concentration profile of said atoms with respect to the layer thickness direction having the maximum concentration at the end surface on the side of said support or in the vicinity thereof and having the concentration of said atoms tending to decrease continuously toward the second layer.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A photoconductive member, having a support, a first layer having photoconductivity containing an amorphous material comprising silicon atoms as a matrix provided on said support and a second layer containing silicon atoms and carbons atoms as essential components provided on said first layer, wherein said first layer contains at least one kind of atoms selected from the group III of the periodic table together with nitrogen atoms, with the nitrogen atoms having a substantially uniform concentration distribution within said first layer where the content of nitrogen atoms is 0.005 to 40 atomic % and the group III atoms of the periodic table having a depth concentration profile of said atoms with respect to the layer thickness direction where the maximum concentration is at the end surface on the side of said support or in the vicinity thereof and the concentration of said atoms tends to decrease continuously toward the second layer, and where the concentration distribution maximum of the group III atoms of the periodic table is in the range from 80 to 1×10 5  atomic ppm, the concentration distribution minimum of the group III atoms of the periodic table is in the range from 1 to 1000 atomic ppm and the maximum of the concentration distribution is 2 times or more relative to the minimum of the concentration distribution. 
     
     
       2. A photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein hydrogen atoms are contained in the first layer. 
     
     
       3. A photoconductive member according to claim 2, wherein the content of hydrogen atoms is in the range from 1 to 40 atomic %. 
     
     
       4. A photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein halogen atoms are contained in the first layer. 
     
     
       5. A photoconductive member according to claim 4, wherein the content of halogen atoms is in the range from 1 to 40 atomic %. 
     
     
       6. A photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein both of hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms are contained in the first layer. 
     
     
       7. A photoconductive member according to claim 6, wherein the content in sum of hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms is in the range from 1 to 40 atomic %. 
     
     
       8. A photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein the group III atoms of the periodic table are selected from the group consisting of boron, aluminum, gallium, indium and thallium. 
     
     
       9. A photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein the support is electrically conductive. 
     
     
       10. A photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein the support is electrically insulating. 
     
     
       11. A photoconductive member according to claim 13, wherein the surface of the support is electrically conductive. 
     
     
       12. A photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein the support has a drum-like shape. 
     
     
       13. A photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein the support is shaped in a belt. 
     
     
       14. A photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein hydrogen atoms are contained in the second layer. 
     
     
       15. A photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein halogen atoms are contained in the second layer. 
     
     
       16. A photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms are contained in the second layer. 
     
     
       17. A photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein the content of carbon atoms is in the range from 1×10 -3  to 90 atomic %. 
     
     
       18. A photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein the layer thickness of the second layer is in the range from 0.003 to 30 μm.